Korrina looked at Lucario's respectful posture with confusion on her face. Although Lucario wasn't the arrogant, untamable type of Pokémon, he still had his own pride.
In normal introductions, he'd give a slight nod at most. Only when facing her grandfather's Lucario would he show utmost respect, both because Gurkinn's Lucario was overwhelmingly powerful and because Lucario had been personally trained by him.
This was the first time Lucario had ever shown this level of reverence in front of a stranger. And so respectfully, too.
"Lucario, you." Korrina looked at her partner, her face full of bewilderment. Lucario wasn't the type to easily bow down. Even facing her grandfather's overwhelmingly powerful Lucario, he'd only maintained his usual respect, never bowing at ninety degrees like this. What was going on?
Ash was also stunned. He instinctively wanted to reach out and help Lucario up, but felt it wouldn't quite be right. He could only scratch his head, smiling awkwardly. "Uh. There's no need to be so polite. This is our first meeting, right?"
Lucario slowly straightened, his crimson eyes still intently fixed on Ash. The awe in them was undeniable. He raised his hand, pointed at Ash, then pointed to his own chest, letting out a low rumble.
Only Ash understood Lucario's meaning, and that meaning made Ash understand why Lucario was acting this way.
"So you detected my Aura. Miss Korrina, your Lucario is impressive."
Ash's Aura wasn't ordinary. Aura Power normally sat deep inside a person's body, and even a Pokémon like Lucario, who could sense Aura naturally, couldn't easily pick it up. For Korrina's Lucario to have sensed it only proved that Lucario's mastery of Aura sensing was already exceptional.
"Aura? Isn't that a power only Lucario can wield?" Korrina blinked her deep blue eyes, looking at Ash suspiciously.
"Maybe I'm special. I can also use Aura Power." Ash explained simply, and with a thought, the vast, ocean-like Aura Power inside him manifested outward. He directly materialized his Aura Power.
In an instant, the entire Gym's atmosphere seemed to freeze. An invisible pressure, like a tidal wave, radiated from Ash's body. It wasn't malicious. It was pure energy fluctuation. But it made everyone present's heart pound.
Misty and Brock had experienced Ash's Aura Power before, but every previous time had been through Aura fusion with one of his Pokémon. This kind of purely direct Aura release was extremely rare. The last time Ash had done this was during his early confrontation with Mewtwo. Several months had passed, and they could feel it. Ash's power had grown considerably stronger.
Serena's eyes widened. This was the first time she had directly felt the power Ash carried inside him. The feeling was like standing before a sleeping giant beast. Even a hint of its aura was enough to fill people with awe. Was this the kind of power a human could possess? So the strength that had been dormant within Ash was this terrifying.
No wonder Ash could fight alongside Mewtwo against other god-level opponents like the corrupted Lugia.
However, when it came to genuine shock, Korrina's Lucario was in a class of his own. Lucario had only vaguely sensed the terrifying Aura within Ash's body before. Now Ash had directly projected that energy outward. The overwhelming, pure power caused Lucario to shift from a bow to kneeling on one knee, his head bowed even more deeply.
In his perception, the purity and level of this Aura surpassed anything he understood. Even his lifelong master, whom he'd been pursuing for decades, was no match for it. In the face of this ancient power, he was like a stream compared to an ocean.
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning. This is the power of the legendary Aura Hero.
An ancient legend had been passed down through generations of the Lucario species. Long ago, there had been a human who cultivated Aura Power to a level surpassing all other Pokémon, so much so that even their ancestors willingly pursued him and became his comrades in arms. That human had later been revered as the Aura Hero.
And now, this legendary power had appeared before him without warning. Lucario could even sense that there was a similar Lucario within Ash's team. This configuration. Could it be that the hero from back then had been reincarnated?
"Lucario, what's wrong?" Korrina exclaimed in shock. She had never seen Lucario so unsettled. Even if someone possessed Aura Power, even if their power was slightly stronger than Lucario's own, it shouldn't have caused him to lose composure like this.
At that moment, a voice full of vigor came from deep within the Gym.
"Because that young man's Aura has reached a legendary level."
Everyone looked toward the voice. A burly, white-haired old man was slowly emerging from an inner room. He wore a similar style of combat uniform to Korrina, and despite his advanced age, his steps were steady, his gait powerful, and his whole being still radiated an aura of energy.
"Grandpa!" Korrina exclaimed.
The person who had arrived was Korrina's grandfather, the former Gym Leader of the Shalour Gym, Gurkinn. Gurkinn approached Ash, his cloudy but sharp eyes examining the young man meticulously. After a long moment, he sighed softly.
"I've lived many years, and this is the first time I've seen a human cultivate Aura Power to this level. No wonder Lucario was so distraught. Your Aura Power has probably reached Champion level, or even Champion Peak, hasn't it?"
"Grandpa, what did you say? How is that possible?" Korrina looked at Ash in disbelief.
Champion Peak Aura Power. That meant Ash possessed Champion Peak-level combat power. But Ash was just a human. A human with Champion Peak-level combat power. Was he even human?
"It's not impossible." Gurkinn shook his head, his gaze still fixed on Ash. "Legend says that a thousand years ago, there was an Aura Hero named Alan. He used his Aura Power to quell world-shaking chaos, and it's said his Lucario reached god level."
Gurkinn spoke slowly. His gaze on Ash was full of quiet emotion. "The story of a god-level Lucario is impossible to verify. No one knows if it's true or false. But an Aura Hero who quelled a great rebellion definitely existed."
"Although I don't possess Aura Power myself, I'm still a Lucario Trainer, and my sensitivity to Aura is quite high. Ash, your Aura Power is probably not inferior to Alan's from a thousand years ago."
The entire arena fell silent. Although Ash's friends knew he was strong, they had never imagined he possessed Aura abilities of this magnitude.
A power that could reach a level comparable to that of the legendary Aura Hero.
Ash scratched his head a little awkwardly. "Well, actually, it's not that exaggerated."
In reality, maybe Gurkinn's guess was too conservative. Ash's Aura Power was already at Champion Peak, if not slightly beyond. But he didn't need to correct the record, or he'd frighten them even more. Korrina was probably already spooked as it was.
"With Aura Power like that, no wonder you can train Lucario to be that strong. Ash, your purpose here today isn't just to chat, is it? You're here to challenge the Shalour Gym, right?"
"That's right." Ash nodded, his expression turning serious. "I want to challenge the Gym Leader. Korrina."
Korrina and her Lucario's earlier reaction had caught him off guard, but that brief interlude hadn't made Ash forget the main reason he'd come to the Shalour Gym. He wanted to challenge Korrina. It had been a while since Ash's Lucario had gone up against another of his own kind.
Even though Korrina's Lucario was a tier lower than his, Pokémon battles weren't purely decided by tier. Sparring with a fellow Lucario would let Ash's Lucario gain real insights.
"All right, then let me be the referee. How about we change the rules to one-on-one? Both of you want to spar with Lucario, right? A three-on-three would be a bit cumbersome," Gurkinn suggested.
"Of course!" Korrina's eyes lit up. What she wanted most was to spar with Ash's Lucario, and now her grandfather had offered up the format for her.
Ash also smiled. "I couldn't ask for more."
"All right. Let's begin, then."
Gurkinn raised his hand, his body flashed, and he was instantly at the edge of the arena. For his age, his movement was surprisingly fluid. Korrina glided across on her roller skates to the other side of the arena, and at the same time called out to Lucario. "Lucario, hold steady! The opponent is really strong!"
Lucario took a deep breath and forced down the instinctive awe of that Aura still lingering in him. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit. The stronger the opponent, the more it ignited his will to fight. With a few leaps, he followed Korrina to the other side.
Ash took out his Poké Ball and gently tossed it. "I'm counting on you, Lucario!"
A flash of light, and a strong, steady figure landed on the arena. Alternating blue and black fur, long, powerful limbs, sharp eyes, and a subtle flow of Aura radiating from his body. This was Ash's Lucario.
The two Lucarios stared at each other from across the arena, their eyes meeting for a fleeting moment. Sparks all but flew in the air between them.
They each sensed the aura of one of their own kind, but also something completely different. In terms of raw strength, Ash's Lucario was clearly stronger. In terms of battle experience, though, Korrina's Lucario was far ahead. Don't be fooled by Ash's Lucario's Elite Four-level rank. His actual battle experience was a fraction of his opponent's. Ash's Lucario was only half a year old, after all.
Korrina's Lucario also clearly sensed that the Aura within his opponent's body, while not as devastatingly overwhelming as Ash's own, was still far above his own. However, his Trainer wasn't bad either. The gap in Aura could still be compensated for by fighting skill.
"Both Lucarios are using Aura to sense each other. Where's the opening going to come from?" Gurkinn, standing on the sidelines, wore a delighted smile on his aged face. "This battle looks like it'll be very interesting."
Misty and the others retreated to the sidelines, watching nervously.
Serena whispered, "Misty, who do you think will win?"
Misty answered without hesitation. "Ash, of course. No matter who the opponent is, Ash wins."
When it came to Ash, Misty had absolute trust. Setting aside the fact that she was Ash's girlfriend, just going by their friendship, she had been at his side from the very beginning of his journey and had never left. She had witnessed every one of his battles, big and small. It was hard to believe, but Ash had only lost two matches since his debut.
On the field, Gurkinn raised his right hand, and his resounding voice echoed through the entire Gym.
"The rules of the match: one-on-one, both sides use one Pokémon, the side whose Pokémon loses the ability to battle is the loser." His arm suddenly swung down. "Begin!"
"Lucario, Bullet Punch!"
"Lucario, Bullet Punch!"
The instant Gurkinn's voice fell, both sides simultaneously commanded their Lucarios to use the same move. Both wanted to strike first.
Before either Trainer's words fully landed, the two Lucarios simultaneously vanished from their positions. A sharp tearing sound cracked the air, and two dark blue figures collided in the center of the field with a resounding bang. Their fists met, and the shockwave was visible to the naked eye, sending countless tiny cracks racing across the ground beneath their feet.
Korrina's Lucario's pupils suddenly contracted. His opponent's Bullet Punch, in both force and speed, was pressing him down.
With the first punch, Korrina's Lucario was sent flying back. Before he could recover, Ash's Lucario delivered a second solid blow that sent him flying again.
"Lucario, adjust your stance!"
At Korrina's call, Lucario's core suddenly tensed. His limbs whipped through a sharp arc in mid-air, and he forcibly corrected his posture. Finally he landed steadily on the ground. But the damage from those two punches hadn't disappeared. His right arm was still trembling slightly, and the areas where he'd been hit were throbbing with pain.
That was the speed of sound. If it had been Close Combat instead, he'd probably already be paralyzed. The disparity in strength between the two was even greater than he had imagined.